


A New Balance

by Lookin_Like_A_Snack



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Author is winging it, Delusional Boogeyman, Everyone's Slightly Out Of Character, Extremely Well-Written Crack, Fluff and Humor, Just Adding Chapters As Ideas Come To Me, M/M, MIM Ships It, Nosey Jack Frost, Not Beta Read, Not Really Sure Where This Is Going Yet, P.O.V. Shifts, Patient Santa, Rare Pairings, Sandman Ships It, Short Chapters, Slow Burn to Fast Burn, Tags May Change, The Author Regrets Nothing, The Easter Bunny and The Tooth Fairy Are Very Confused, completely self-indulgent, slow burn?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:21:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25049839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lookin_Like_A_Snack/pseuds/Lookin_Like_A_Snack
Summary: Pitch finds himself at an all-time low after being defeated by the guardians again. But at least this time he isn’t left alone.The hiatus is over. I'm getting this story back up and rolling.
Relationships: Jack Frost & Nicholas St. North, Nicholas St. North/Pitch Black, Pitch Black & Guardians of Childhood
Kudos: 22





	1. Freedom and Revenge

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own any of these characters! The only thing I claim is the plot. Make sure ya read the tags.  
> I haven't written fics in a while so bear with me on any typos. Enjoy!

Pitch squints as he reaches the surface. The moon is out when he finally escapes. Sitting in the center of the sky, letting its glow encompass everything underneath it. He scoffs. Of course, the man in the moon would be the first thing he sees. The harsh brightness it shines at him is almost overwhelming. His eyes ache and beg for a dimmer setting. It had been a long time since he had been in contact with any form of light, now that he thinks about it.

‘How long had I stayed in that hole? Months? Years? a few decades? No, I doubt it's been that long.' After pondering the question for a bit he decided any amount of time was far too long. He shouldn’t have ever been dragged there in the first place. How had he lost? To a group of children no less. It took years of meticulous planning, years of gathering his strength. Decades of hard work, all for nothing.

The boogeyman shook his head as if he were trying the fling the thought away. No, it wasn’t for nothing. He may have lost the battle but there was plenty of time to win the war. He’d try again and again for however long he needed to. If Pitch was anything, he was patient and unceasingly persistent. Though he had been beaten quite severely this time. His stay underground with the ruthless nightmares had left him drained. His absence from the world and all the fear it had to offer almost made him fade away completely. But here he was. ‘Fear never dies, never truly goes away. So neither will I.’ Pitch reminds himself.

The moon’s constant glow seemed to pulse brighter and the shift of lighting brought him out of his thoughts. Now that Pitch’s eyes had somewhat adjusted he glared at the moon directly with as much animosity as he could muster. The soft strobe of the moon rays gives off sympathy. As if MIM were actually sorry for him. As if all of this wasn’t MIM’s fault in the first place. He had been the one who formed the Guardians. 

The boogeyman’s scowl deepened at the thought of them. The disgustingly ‘righteous’ bunch, never failed to stick their noses in his affairs, to rise against him should he step out of line. ‘And just who are they to even decide what’s right and wrong? The last time I checked, I was here first.’ The moon’s gaze still dug into him from above.

“Don’t look at me like that! I don’t need pity, especially not from the likes of you. And don’t you think for a second that this is over! You and your little band of freaks are going to be sorry.” The moon’s rays still ebbed at him, unaffected by his threat. The light cast on him had a somber weight to it. Clearly, MIM was trying to tell him something, but the Nightmare King wasn’t in the mood for a conversation. He was in the mood for revenge. So Pitch went on his way. By foot, of course, he was near powerless at the moment which made traveling through shadows impossible.

‘Temporarily powerless. This is nothing but a setback.’ Pitch thought. ‘I won’t be weak for long. The world is still full of fear. I’ll make sure those fools pay. Every last one of them.’


	2. I Can Feel it in My Belly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I currently have no beta reader and I don't have time to thoroughly read each chapter. If you see mistakes, point those suckers out!

Christmas was a mere few months away and the Pole was buzzing with energy. Well, with more energy than usual, it was hectic all year round. Making Christmas was hard work. Yetis were busy creating and packaging toys while their tiny counterparts bustled across the floor, doing what they can to help, serving as little fire hazards as they scuttled underfoot. 

There were contraptions of all kinds fast at work. Sounds of whirring and twisting gears alongside the busy worker’s chatter filled most rooms, but North’s private office was near silent.

The large man sat at his desk deep in thought. The tray of cookies and eggnog brought in by a few elves were left untouched, even though he’s had more than enough time to eat them. North had the feeling something wasn’t quite right for the past week now. But he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what the problem might be.

Ever since Pitch disappeared, things went back to running smoothly for the Guardians. Tooth and Sandy got right back to their nightly routines. Easter and Chrismas were still annually celebrated and beloved holidays. Even Jack had started working on a schedule- a very loose schedule, but a schedule non the less- and grown himself an impressive amount of believers these past few years. Despite all this, the Cossack’s uneasiness lingered.

North knew that keeping himself cooped up in his office wouldn’t solve anything so he sighed and decided that he’d wasted enough time for today. Christmas was the priority and he should be working with the others. Before he could get up though, there was a knock at his door and Jack flew in without waiting for a response.

The lively spirit brought in a cool breeze and a friendly smile, which brightened North’s mood immediately. “Long time no see.” He joked. Jack had actually seen him quite recently. In fact, it was only yesterday the last time they had spoken. They’d become very close after the young man had accepted his title as guardian. Jack even helped out around the workshop every few months to add his special touch of fun to the presents. The winter spirit was very passionate about bringing joy to the youth of the world.

“Ah, Jack! Welcome back. I didn’t expect you to come two days in a row. I hope you’re not up to anything. What can I do for you, my boy?” North said as he got up to properly greet him with a spine crushing hug that left poor Jack breathless.

“E-Easy there, big guy. And me? Up to something? Never.” Jack quickly recovered from the hug and used a gust of wind to hover at North’s height so that they were eye to eye and got straight to the point. “Oh, I actually came to check up on you. You seemed distracted yesterday and Phil told me you’ve been cooped up in here all evening. Everything alright?”

North was a little taken back by Jack’s sudden serious attitude. The Guardian of fun was naturally very spry and playful. To see his chipper mood shift was jarring. The boy seemed genuinely concerned.

He hesitated before deciding to answer. He didn’t want anyone worrying over him, and there was no use holding the truth. Jack was very perceptive and knew the man long enough to catch him in a lie. Not that Santa would ever lie to him anyway.

“Well, there has been something on my mind lately.”

Jack’s hover faltered. He didn’t expect North to actually tell him about any of his worries. Being trusted by other spirits was relatively new to him after being known as a malicious trickster for the first 300 years of his afterlife, so to be considered a confidant by someone he looked up to was a dream come true.

His smile had returned and he cleared his throat before he continued. “You can talk to me about anything, North. I, uh, might not be able to help, but I can listen. I’m good at that. I-I mean if you wanna talk about it. No pressure or anything.”

The older guardian let out a hearty chuckle seeing the boy flustered but back to his happier mood. “I’m sure talking with you may help. You see…”

Jack gripped his staff in anticipation. ‘What could be worrying Santa, a large sword-wielding wizard who manages to deliver presents to billions of homes in a single night? Was there a threat to Christmas? Could North be losing believers? No, that wasn’t possible. Santa wouldn’t keep that to himself. So what could it be?’ 

“I have this bad feeling, in my belly.” The man left a few pats on his stomach to further his point.

Jack blinked. He wasn’t expecting that to be the problem. “Uh… You mean, like, a stomach ache? That’s what’s bothering you?”

“No, no, boy. Not a stomach ache.” He had to pause and laugh at the small misunderstanding. “I have this gut feeling. Like something will happen soon. Only, I don’t know what that something is.”

The younger spirit still didn’t fully understand, but he gave a curt nod. “So you’re nervous about the future, but you don’t exactly know why?”

“Exactly! And this is not first time this has happened. When the moon chose you, I had a feeling you’d make a great guardian, and look at you!” Jack beamed at the praise while North continued. “My belly has never led me wrong, Jack.”

He nodded again, this time with full understanding. “I think I get what you mean. But it’s not like sulking in here will change what’ll happen. Besides, nothing stands a chance against the guardians, especially now that I’m here.” He joked. “Whatever’s coming can’t be too serious. But if it makes you feel better, I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for any trouble.”

North let out a booming laugh and ruffled Jack’s already messy hair. “Let’s hope you are right. Now, it’s about time we get productive, ya?” With that, he grabbed a few cookies from his desk and headed out to the workshop with Jack in tow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments and kudos.


	3. Greed comes before the fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Turns out, Pitch isn't as stealthy as he thinks he is. He's about to find that out the hard way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a quickie but I might add on to it later. Still don't have a beta reader so I'm counting on my readers (that's you) to point out any mistakes. Enjoy~

Pitch sat at the end of a child’s bed, listening to the calm breaths of the tot slowly escalate as he twisted their golden dream into a nightmare. Not a sentient Nightmare like his previous goons that had turned on him. This black sand didn’t transform into a magnificent mare ready to follow his orders. It simply stayed afloat over the child’s head, sifting over itself as it displayed the ‘bad dream’.

If it could even be called that. The little girl’s dream consisted of nothing but boring, dimly lit hallways. It made her more nervous than terrified. The shadowy man balled his fists in frustration.

This fear was a common, simple phobia of the dark, it wasn’t very filling. But Pitch couldn’t afford to feed on stronger fears right now. While the offer was tempting, he knew that he had to ration his meals. If he gained strength too fast, it would draw attention to the holier-than-thou Guardians. That is if they weren’t already aware of his presence in the world. There was a good chance that MIM had already warned them of his escape.

He had a bad habit of biting off more than he could chew in the past, but he’d do things differently this time. If he wanted to stay undiscovered, he needed to take things slowly. Taking baby steps was key.

Or at least, taking baby steps was his initial plan. 

The boogeyman was far from his former glory and made much less progress than he anticipated. He had wandered through several towns now and was still almost as weak as he was when he first started. The guardians had filled the world with their joy, hope, and fun in his absence, making the children very resilient.

Which was why he foolishly decided to switch tactics and go for bigger feedings. The boogeyman was tired of being written off as a bad dream. He craved that invigorating rush of power from the Dark Ages and wouldn’t be ignored any longer. Little did he know, he wasn’t being ignored at all. There was a little spirit watching him from above. Two of them, actually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave some comments and kudos. Don't be shy, ya know ya want to.


	4. Not so Subtle After All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's finally been discovered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I planned to take a short break from writing and ended up disappearing for a couple months... Oops. Hopefully, I can get this story back on track. This chapter's gonna be on the shorter end.

Jack Frost stretched himself out on Sanderson’s fluffy cloud. He enjoyed spending time with the round little man in his spare time. The SandMan was one of his favorite people to talk to. He couldn't talk back- at least not verbally- but Sandy was a very good listener. Whenever they spoke, Jack felt understood.

He watched as Sandy sent out golden strands of pleasant dreams to the resting city and was just about to doze off himself when something caught his eye. There was movement on the streets down below.

A wispy, dark figure slinking across a lonely sidewalk.

It wasn’t exactly unusual for people to be out at this time. There was always an occasional night owl or midnight stroller. But something about this person was off. Whoever it was down there seemed on edge. They looked back and forth to make sure they weren’t noticed before continuing on their way. Jack leaned over the edge of the golden dream cloud to get a closer look.

Now that he was paying closer attention, he could make out some features. It was a man. A tall, lanky, man that carried an almost ominous presence. Something about him was familiar, but it was hard to get a good look from this high up.

Even from this far view, Jack swore he could see darkness following him. The longer he stared, the more unnatural the man appeared. It only took a few seconds before it all clicked

“Woah, hold on. Sandy is that- no, it can’t be...”

The sandman leaned in as well and they both watched as what looked like the boogeyman himself swiftly slunk into a home. And then another. And another. Each visit was a quick in-and-out. The guardians were too shocked to react.

They weren’t even sure what The Boogeyman was doing until Sandy felt it. If he focused he could feel his good dreams fading. No, not fading. They were changing. Pitch was replacing them with nightmares.

He wasn’t wasting any time either. The two of them stared from above, seeing his pace escalate. If Pitch kept on spreading fear at this rate, he’d actually have a pretty good chance of gaining a believer or two. 

At this point, Jack and Sandy were ready to make their move. They’d seen enough and it was obvious the Nightmare king was up to no good.

Jack spoke up. “You take his left, I’ll take his right?”

When the Sandman gave him a firm nod they sprung into action. Pitch wouldn't even know what hit him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you see any illegal grammar mistakes, please report them in the comments.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave some comments and kudos.


End file.
